There has been conventionally well known a confocal microscope system using a pin hole array disc (Nipkow disc) type confocal scanner. FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of an example of the conventional confocal microscope system. In FIG. 7, a confocal scanner unit 1 is attached to a port part 3 of an inverted microscope 2. A tube lens 3a is provided inside the port part 3.
Attached to the microscope 2 are an observation light source 4 for emitting an observation light for observing a bright field image, an excitation light source 5 for emitting an excitation light for observing a fluorescent image, a condenser lens 6, an objective lens 7, an imaging camera 8, an ocular lens 9 and a sample table 11 on which an observation sample 10 is placed.
A mirror part 12 is configured to be able to select a total reflection mirror or a through state. Further, a mirror part 13 is configured to be able to select a dichroic mirror which transmits an excitation light and reflects a fluorescent image from the observation sample 10, or a total reflection mirror. The selection of the mirrors is executed by arranging the dichroic mirror and the total reflection mirror at the same angle on a linear movement mechanism and sliding them. A mirror part 14 is configured to be able to select a total reflection mirror, a half mirror or a through state. Other mirrors 15, 16, 17 are all total reflection mirrors.
Attached to the confocal scanner unit 1 are a laser light source 19 for emitting a laser light (excitation light) via an optical fiber 18 and an imaging camera 20 for acquiring a confocal image. A microlens array disc 21 and a pin hole array disc 22 are provided inside the confocal scanner unit 1 wherein they are configured to be connected to each other by a bearing part 23 and rotated at the same time by a motor 24.
A dichroic mirror 25 is disposed midway between the microlens array disc 21 and the pin hole array disc 22 for transmitting the laser light (excitation light) from the laser light source 19 and reflecting the fluorescent image from the observation sample 10, and also total reflection mirrors 26, 27 and 28 are disposed as shown in FIG. 7.
A collimate lens 29 for converting the light emitted from the tip end of the optical fiber 18 into a parallel light, and a set of relay lenses 30, 31 for focusing the observed image on the imaging camera 20 are disposed, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7.
The light from the observation light source 4 illuminates the observation sample 10 via the mirror 16 and the condenser lens 6 while the bright field image from the observation sample 10 is transmitted through the mirror part 12 in the through state, and is reflected by the selected mirror part 13 by which the total reflection mirror is selected.
When observing a reflected bright field image with naked eyes, the total reflection mirror is selected by the mirror part 14 to cause the bright field image to be guided to the ocular lens 9, so that the observation with naked eyes can be executed.
In the case where the bright field image is acquired by the imaging camera 8, the mirror part 14 is caused to be in the through state so that the bright field image is focused via an imaging lens on the imaging camera 8. Further, when the mirror part 14 is caused to be a half mirror, a visual observation and an observation by the imaging camera 8 can be executed at the same time.
When observing the fluorescent light, the mirror part 13 selects the dichroic mirror, and the mirror part 12 is caused to be in the through state. Accordingly, the excitation light from the excitation light source 5 is reflected by the mirror 17, and transmits the mirror part 13 which is set as a dichroic mirror and the mirror part 12, subsequently illuminated on the observation sample 10 via the objective lens 7.
The fluorescent light emitted from the observation sample 10 is returned to the same light path, but it is reflected by the mirror part 13 which is set as a dichroic mirror. Accordingly, the fluorescent image passes through a barrier filter, not shown, then it is guided to the ocular lens 9 and the imaging camera 8, by the same method described as above, where the observation by naked eyes and acquiring are executed.
When acquiring the confocal image, the observation light source 4 of the microscope 2 and the excitation light source 5 are turned off to cause the mirror part 12 to be in a state of the total reflection mirror. The laser light from the laser light source 19 is converted into a parallel light by the collimate lens 29, which is subsequently reflected by the mirrors 28, 27 and directed to the microlens array disc 21.
The laser light is condensed as a plurality of beam spots by individual microlenses of the microlens array disc 21. The condensing light is transmitted through the dichroic mirror 25 and condensed on corresponding individual pin holes of the pin hole array disc 22. The light passed through the pin holes is converted into a parallel light by a tube lens 3a inside the port part 3, which is subsequently reflected by the mirror 12 and is illuminated on the observation sample 10 via the objective lens 7.
The fluorescent image from the observation sample 10 is returned to the same light path, and passes again through the individual pin holes, which is subsequently reflected by the dichroic mirror 25, and it is imaged on imaging elements of the imaging camera 20 via the mirror 26, and the relay lenses 30, 31.
When the microlens array disc 21 and the pin hole array disc 22 are rotated at high speed, individual beam spots over the observation sample 10 scan the focal plane on the observation sample, whereby the fluorescent light from the focal plane of the observation sample also scans on the imaging elements. The light other than the light emitted on the focal plane can not pass through the same light path, and hardly passes through the pin holes. As a result, the fluorescent image (confocal image) from the focal plane is acquired by the imaging camera 20.
There is the following patent document for observing a confocal image and a fluorescent image by a common observation part.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2570631
However, according to the confocal microscope system having the configuration shown in FIG. 7, in order to acquire a usual microscopic image such as the bright field image and the fluorescent image, and the confocal image by a camera, two imaging cameras are required, or one camera need be replaceably mounted on the system when observing respective images. Accordingly, when two expensive high sensitivity cameras are mounted on the confocal microscope system, there is a problem that the system becomes expensive. Further, if one camera is used while replaceably mounted on the system, there is a problem that replacement of the camera is troublesome and not practical. Further, when the normal microscopic image is caused to be transmitted through the confocal scanner unit to be acquired by then imaging camera, the light is merely transmitted through the pin hole array disc by an aperture ratio thereof, thereby causing the image to be dark in lightness to a degree of two digits.
Further, the device disclosed in the patent document 1 described as above is not provided for observing a bright field image, and also an excitation light for observing the fluorescent image is illuminated on the observation sample via a confocal scanner so that the fluorescent image becomes a half confocal image.